Criminal Rome

Unconventional urban walk | 3 hours | on foot

This tour is not about the dangerous areas of Rome or places you are “not supposed to visit.”

“Criminal Rome” is an author’s tour created for those who have already seen classical Rome and wish to experience the city from a different perspective: without idealization, without myths, and beyond the polished surface of tourism.

It is a journey through Rome via crimes, conspiracies, murders, and human dramas that left a real mark on the city’s history — from Antiquity to the present day. We speak about power and fear, sin and impunity, about those who changed the course of history, and those who disappeared without a trace. This tour reveals an unusual and lesser-known Rome, where great historical events intertwine with the personal destinies of real individuals.

What is this tour about?

It is a journey through time:

From the founding myth of Rome, marked by Romulus’ murder of his brother Remus, to the conspiracy against Julius Caesar,
the papal Rome of serial poisonings and the dramatic fate of Caravaggio, and into the 20th century: the Years of Lead, the kidnapping and assassination of Aldo Moro, the activities of the Banda della Magliana, and one of the Vatican’s most disturbing mysteries — the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi.

Piazza della Bocca della Verità

The tour begins at the legendary site of Rome’s origins. The valley between Palatine Hill and the Tiber River played a crucial role even before the city existed. According to myth, this is where the basket carrying Romulus and Remus was discovered. You will learn how fratricide became the starting point of the Eternal City’s history, and why violence and power were embedded in Rome from the very beginning.

The Jewish Ghetto and the Fountain of the Turtles

Walk through the historic Jewish Ghetto — a place of isolation, control, and survival. The Fountain of the Turtles is one of Rome’s most elegant and symbolic sites, immortalized by Joseph Brodsky. Here we explore the duality between the city’s beauty and its cruelty.

Via Caetani

The site where, on May 9, 1978, Aldo Moro — one of the most influential political figures of 20th-century Italy — was found murdered.
His body was discovered in the trunk of a red Renault, precisely between the headquarters of the Communist Party and the Christian Democratic Party. We examine the crime, its political context, and its international implications.

Largo di Torre Argentina

An archaeological site known in Antiquity as the Sacred Area. This is where Julius Caesar was assassinated. We analyze the conspiracy, its participants, and the consequences that changed the course of Roman and European history.

Campo de’ Fiori and Via dei Pellegrini

A place of public executions and civic gatherings. Here emerges the story of Giulia Tofana, the most famous serial poisoner of the 17th century, whose victims numbered in the hundreds across Rome and the Papal States. You will discover how a deadly poison disguised as a cosmetic was distributed through clandestine networks.

San Lorenzo in Damaso

A church connected to an apothecary monk who supplied ingredients for the infamous “Aqua Tofana.” We explore the secret poisoning networks and why this poison became part of European legend — including theories surrounding the death of Mozart.

The Talking Statue of Pasquino

One of Rome’s most unique symbols. Through it, we uncover the tradition of political satire, anonymous accusations, and hidden resistance during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Piazza Navona and the Fountain of the Four Rivers

The luxury of Baroque Rome forms the backdrop for intrigue, crime, and struggles for power.

Piazza Sant’Apollinare

A palace and basilica connected to the 1983 disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, a Vatican citizen. This site is also linked to the burial of Enrico De Pedis, one of the leaders of the Banda della Magliana. According to one theory, the two cases are closely connected.

Church of Saint Augustine

The final stop of the tour.

Here is preserved Caravaggio’s painting Madonna di Loreto. We explore the social reality of 17th-century Rome, the breaking of moral boundaries, and the murder committed by Caravaggio himself in 1606. The artist’s story is revealed not through art — but through crime.

With Harmonia Tour, Rome reveals itself as it truly is — complex, contradictory, and profoundly alive.